The Mirror's Fate Saga
by iGreedy
Summary: In one world, the genius tactician woke up in the middle of a field - found by the Prince of Yilsse and spurring an adventure where she stood alongside him through wars and conflicts. Now, everything has changed. Awaking on the other side of the world, the tactician finds herself fighting by the side of an empire that seeks to conquer the world. What will happen?
1. Prolouge

The Mirror's Fate

By iGreedy

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem. Nintendo does, and they do good work.**

Part 1: The Divider of Valm

Prologue: The New Awakening

'No, no, NO! This can't be happening!'

 _She could only stand in shocked silence, unable to say or do anything but stare in horror at the man with the blue hair and the brand on his arm as he stepped back from her in shock. His hand gripped the source of her paralyzing fear: A bolt of energy that protruded from his chest, ominous and deadly._

 _'_ W-what did I do!? _' She screamed inside her head without respite as she brought her gaze down at her own hand, still cracking with yellow lighting. She didn't want to face the truth, that in one fell swoop she had destroyed their last hope. With this same hand with which she sworn would help the man before her to save everyone. Yet now, it did the very opposite…_

"This is not-" _The pain-filled voice started, bringing back her wide eyes to the blue haired-man as he struggled to say what was surely his final words,_ "your fault…"

'No! How…How could I not be to blame!?' was all her mind could shout at him, her tongue still betraying her.

"Promise me," _he gasped out, his head shaking as if he knew her inner torment and was reassuring her once again that it wasn't her fault. It was obvious his body was filled with agonizing pain yet he was still so determined to help even her of all people, the one who least deserved his forgiveness or kindness,_ "that you'll escape from this place…"

"Please, go…" _he choked out one last plea, and then she saw his eyes grow dark and gloss over with a blank veil of death. He slumped heavily onto the cold, hard ground, unmoving._

 _'_ NOOOOOOOOOOOO!' _she cried with a silent wail of despair, as everything grew darker and darker, until evil, rumbling laughter became the only reality inside her bleak and hopeless world…_

 _. . ._

"Wake up."

Her eyelids fluttered open before narrowing from the glare of the bright sun beaming down on her. Above her, the blue sky was clear with not a cloud in sight and a slight breeze washing over her. A low groan escaped her as she moved her stiff limbs, the soft sound of grass being rustled and flattened beneath her. She rubbed at her eyes like a sleepy child, wiping off the grime that had built up at the corners.

 _'Where am I?'_

She felt the markings of a headache when she thought too deeply about- well, anything really. She felt a deep soreness throughout her body and a slight fog of weariness filled her mind, slowing it to a crawl. Already she could feel herself being lulling back to sleep to avoid thinking. The grass was soft enough and the sun pleasantly warm. She didn't even know what caused her to wake in the first place…

"Good. You have finally awakened." The stern voice of a man above her rousted her back from her drifting consciousness and gave her reason to open her eyes again, this time in alarm. She lifted a hand to reduce the sun's rays in hopes of seeing the source of the voice. She saw nothing before a shadow loomed over her, blocking the sun's beams.

"Wha…" she groggily moaned out as she tried to focus her blurry vision on the shadow. The only thing she could make out was a hand's outline, illuminated by the sun, reaching out to her. She grabbed ahold of it on reflex with one of her own. As she was swiftly pulled up, a strange violet mark stared from the back of her right hand caught her attention for a moment. She chose to put that to the back of her mind for later however - mysterious shadows came first.

A wave of nausea hit her full force as soon as she was on her own two feet, setting the world swimming around her. Her knees nearly buckled and collapsed beneath her from the potency. She remained standing only by merit of the man's shoulder, which her hands clenched onto like a lifeline.

 _'Which begs the question: just how long was I lying here?'_

"Easy, breathe deeply. Give your body time to adjust." The man's voice swept through her confused haze with what she now recognized as, not a stern tone like she first assumed, but merely an unemotional one. Following the man's advice, she stood there as air slowly whooshed in and out her lungs. Before long, her vision returned back to normal and the world became stable once more. She took this opportunity to sneak a good look-over of her rescuer from her peripheral vision.

He had a…unique look to him to be sure. He had very sharp features –so much so that everything about him looked liable to cut you if touched- from his cheekbones to his eyebrows. His hair was like spun sliver, tied back with a high ponytail except for a thick stand that fell free before his face. He wore a black, horned head guard that encompassed the sides of his jaw and all the way to his chin, augmenting the already sharp lines of his face. His eyes were so slight as to appear closed (though maybe they were because she sure couldn't tell).

The armor he wore was different than the blue leather armor and sliver shoulder guard of the blue-haired man in her dream (at least she thought it was a dream, it seemed so real…) with black-and-gold scaled plates over flowing dark purple cloth as its make. the two Killing Edges holstered on both sides of his hip completed his warrior demeanor. He looked intimidating to say in the least.

"You need not stare so intently. I mean no harm." The man brought her wandering gaze back to reality and she realized she was still holding a little too tightly to his arm.

"Oh," She let go, her face flushing in embarrassment at her rudeness. "Forgive me for staring so much. I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed right now. Ha ha…"

 _'Why am I feeling so self-conscious?'_ She was really out of it. This man was off-putting at how different he was from anything she knew yet he radiated calmness and poise. It gave mixed messages.

"Nay, there is no need for apologies." He paused, and then added in a softer voice, "Do you feel well enough to walk on your own?"

"Yes, I think so. Thank you Chr-" The words died on her lips as the strangest feeling ran through her spine. There was something was wrong with this scene somehow, but she didn't have the faintest idea why. She forgot what she was about to say too…

The man simply regarded her silently, a look of inquiry crossing his face briefly, but let the unfinished sentence past by without mention. "'Twould not be wise for you to linger further in this place," he told her, with what was now unmistakably a stern note. "You ought to leave now lest harm comes upon you."

Short of sounding ominous, it seemed like sound enough advice coming from this man. He was dressed for battle after all, and people like that didn't give warnings for little reason. And she felt he was an honest person, though she was still a bit confused about the whole situation. "Um, okay, if you insist. I suppose I can go…"

She came up blank…on everything! Looking around, she couldn't recognize anything surrounding her. Furthermore, when she tried to recall where she was, nothing came. Worse yet, when she tried to remember her own name, she realized she didn't even know what it was! No matter how deep she tried to dig from her memories for anything, all she found was a gaping hole of an abyss inside her head. The only recollection she had was the dream of the man!

 _'Who…am I!?'_

"I…don't know where I am…" She grasped her head, wincing from a sudden headache that hit from nowhere. Perhaps it came from her simply attempting to force memories to materialize? "I'm sorry, but I…I don't even know my own name."

The man grimaced at her words, finally making a face that showed some emotion. "You remember nothing?" She nodded mournfully in response. "So you suffer from amnesia, and now into my hands you have fallen…"

He turned his back to her and remained silent for a time, seemingly lost in thought. After what felt like forever, he faced her and said with a note of resignation, "'Tis then my obligation to give you aid. Follow." And off he went, leaving the bewildered woman behind within seconds with his long yet graceful stride. Seeing little other choice left to her in this situation, she ran after him.

As she struggled to keep up with the man's pace, her eyes scanned the surroundings for some bearing of where she was. She discovered that where she had been sleeping had lied at the base of a grassy hill with only large plains around to view that reached out for miles. She was practically in the middle of nowhere. The only noteworthy thing in sight appeared to be a town of some sort that was a few miles off, tell-tale trials of faint smoke rose from its midst. She couldn't help but also notice that the man appeared to not be heading anywhere near the town, but rather away from it.

"Um, excuse me." The man gave a slight turn of his head to acknowledge her and she pointed out the distant town. "Will we be heading anywhere near that town over there?"

"…Nay." He turned his head back forward. "Our way leads elsewhere - a camp."

With those short words left hanging in the air, they kept walking in silence on a beaten dirt path that was circling around the hill. For the rest of the trip she moved her attention from her surroundings to herself – specifically her clothing. The most eye-catching piece of clothing she wore was a hooded cloak that clung to her form. It was a heavy and certainly an exquisite-looking piece with black as its main coloring with gold trimming on the outside of the cloak and a dark red hue on the inside, a golden woven rope tying the front together securely. The cloak also had purple lines trailing its outside as well – primarily on the sleeves where it took the shape of eye-like ovals running down the lengths. It was very comfy and felt familiar on her figure. Underneath, she wore a tan short-sleeved shirt with a high collar and an almost embarrassing low cut in the front. She was sure if her…assets were any larger it would be very revealing indeed. For her lower half she wore a belt in the same gold and black design as her cloak with a broken clasp on the left side of her hip, holding up white breeches that tucked into high black socks and worn, brown traveling boots.

While the outfit appeared extravagant it was rather practical and of tough material; it was perfect for traveling. A search of her pockets revealed nothing but a pair of leather gloves which she put on. During the course of her search, she also discovered that her cloak had an inside pocket as well. She reached in to only be rewarded with a small tingling current that ran throughout her body with a rush and made her pale-blond hair stand on end. She felt something like dry dust and her glove came out blackened. It seemed like ash, but she had no reason why she would have ash in her pockets of all things. In the end, however, there was nothing to identify who she was.

She sighed in disappointment, and glanced up in time to see more smoke rising in the air. That shouldn't been odd except for the fact that she was facing the opposite direction from the town.

 _'How strange. I couldn't see that before. Perhaps the hill was in the way?'_ She was so busy wondering about it that she almost ran into the man, who had stopped with a raised hand.

"Listen to my words carefully if you wish no harm to come to you," he began with a deadly serious tone, making the woman's back straightened by reflex. "Walk near me at all times. Do not stray and speak to none. Most important is that you hide your fear and show naught but strength. Do you understand?"

She held back a gulp. "I…I understand." She had no idea why he would say that, but his tone was oozing such warning that she was sure there wasn't just a minor reason for it.

 _'Just what exactly lies ahead?'_

She took a couple of long, deep breaths to calm her heart beat and straightened her spine, standing tall. The man still had the strong-looking and height advantage in leap and bounds, but apparently, she was good enough to past inspection because he nodded his approval. "Good. Now we go forward."

They went on and she found they were moving downward into something like a valley but not nearly as large. Passing some large rocks, she finally laid eyes on their destination and couldn't help but gasp.

It was like she was looking at a sea of red in constant movement. There were hundreds of red tents arrayed on a wide plain. The whole area was buzzing with activity as many people moved about the tents like red ants, lifting and carting armor, weapons, and horses in great numbers.

 _'It's an army camp,'_ she realized in amazement.

"Do not stop." The man's voice urged her onward, making her realize she had actually stopped at the breathtaking sight.

"I'm sorry. It's very-"

"Overwhelming to the senses, I understand. But the time to falter is not nigh."

With that, they walked right into the midst of the camp. As they walked, the soldiers nudged each other and pointed out the duo walking past. There was a low buzz of whispers all round them, but they kept their distance, so she couldn't hear a word of they were saying. The whole ordeal made her nervous. She continued to follow the man's advice though: her head held high and without emotion, but that turned out to be a much harder task to attempt than she thought. She had no idea how the man did it.

A strange occurrence happened as they moved through the countless number of tents that sent her mind whirling with questions: she found that she could name the majority of the gear that that were being shipped in carts around her, such as armors, weapons and basic supplies. This set her mind whirling with questions.

 _'Hmm. Did I perhaps learn this sometime in the past? If that's so, why would I remember something like military equipment and not my own past?'_ She fought the urge to groan angrily; why couldn't anything make sense for her?

They passed by all of the soldiers to a tent-less area that was more deserted then the adjacent areas; she assumed this was the center of the camp. The man stopped her before the biggest and most decorative tent she had seen so far. It was guarded by a pair of soldiers, suggesting to her that whoever was inside held important status.

"Halt! Who are you!? General Bartholomew is busy with preparations and is not to be bothered by anyone!" one of the guards rudely declared with a pointed spear.

The man calmly brushed away the spear point and produced a scroll from a small satchel he had. "Then give him this and inform him that General Yen'fay of the southern forces is at his doorstep to offer assistance. Then we shall see if he still finds himself too engaged to speak with me."

The guards paled at the name Yen'fay, trembling at the man's calm yet edged tone and their own error. "Y-yes sir, General Yen'fay! As you command, sir!" the first guard squawked, taking the scroll and running inside the tent.

"Wait, y-you're a general!?" the clueless woman asked, shocked at the revelation that she had been traveling with a general of all things!

"…Aye. That is the title I hold now," he revealed, his voice soft.

"I-I am so sorry to have troubled you, um, sir!" she spluttered, raising her hand for an awkward salute. She found herself suddenly tongue-tied and struggling to think of how to correctly address someone with such standing. She knew at least that a general was no small thing. "Please forgive me for inconveniencing you, sir, and um, forcing you to drag me along with you, sir!"

For the first time since she met him he smiled, amused at her fumbling actions. It was a small smile, but a smile nevertheless and it helped to calm her somewhat. "I told you once before: lay any need for apologies to rest. My actions were my own, and I chose to give you aid because it would have been the actions of a cruel man to have left you alone in such a state."

"Well, okay. If you're sure, sir," she said hesitantly, lowering her hand.

"I am, and I ask that you call me by my proper name. I am Yen'fay of Chon'sin."

"Chon'sin?"

"Aye, 'Tis my homeland," he revealed with a touch of fondness and another emotion that was hard to decipher. Pain? Sadness? He continued on before she could dwell on it. "But that matters not for now. I ask you: do not see me any different now than when I found you. One tends to lose the valuable ability to say their true thoughts when one sees another atop a mountain."

"I suppose so," she agreed slowly, then nodded with firm resolve. "Yes, I think I agree with that. Very well then, I will. And I want to thank you again for helping me, so thank you, Yen'fay."

The guard came back out cutting their conversion short (as well as Yen'fay's smile) and announced that Yen'fay was allowed entry inside. He turned to her. "Tis better that you remain behind for now."

"You want me to stay here?" she asked with a worried glace around her.

"Do not let fear trouble your mind. I will not be gone for long," he assured her. "Be brave."

 _"_ Now what?" She asked herself as Yen'fay went inside, leaving her alone for the first time since she woke up.

Sighing, she began pondering just what she was going to do next. It was now established beyond a doubt that she had no idea whatsoever who she was before waking in a field. All she could assume is that she was a traveler of some sort, but was she traveling with a place in mind? Or was she merely a wanderer? What happened for her to wake up in a field with no memory? There were too many questions with no answers within sight. She supposed she could go in search of her past, but she still didn't know where to even start in order to do that!

Then her thought shifted and she began to think of the man who found her: the general, Yen'fay. She had to admit that being around him made her feel secure. No, not just that. There was an aura of strength around him that seemed to wash over her, fortifying her. And it felt so familiar too, like a memory in her past perhaps…

"Well, well, look at this: a lost-looking flower in a place like this? It's unheard of!"

A loud voice that oozed confidence quickly snapped her out of her thoughts, and she whirled around towards the source.

A young man stood before her, arms crossed. He was soundly built with a long chin and bold features. His light brown hair was tightly brushed back all the way to the base of his neck with not a strand out of place. The armor of a mounted solider, a Cavalier, covered his solid frame (making her wonder how she didn't hear him clanking near). The armor differed from the standard set that she saw the others in the camp wearing, lacking any armor for his arms except for the pauldrons, showing off his muscular arms. The color of the armor also differed, a dark maroon unlike the bright red she had seen so far. The most noticeable thing about him though by far had to be was his wide smile. Shining like the sun, it was almost eye-watering at how intense it was, but it was a smile that sent a wave of warmth through her as well because of how genuine it was.

"Well? Had your fill?" his creamy brown eyes twinkled with amusement and his smile somehow grew even bigger if that was possible.

"Oh, I'm sorry for staring," she apologized with a start, snapping out of her grin-induced daze.

"Oh, don't be tellin' me, you haven't learned rule number one yet? Oh man." He laughed, shaking his head.

"Rule number one? And what would that be?"

"Never apologize!" he shouted, stomping his feet together and pounding his fist to his chest. "Only the weak apologize! The strong don't need to feel sorry because to be sorry is to say you were wrong! The strong are never wrong!"

"Oh…I see," was all she could say.

The man burst out in laughter at her reaction. "Oh, ain't no need for you putting on such a blank face! I reckon you must be even more of a new recruit then I am! But hey, it's no reason we can't work together to make the world a better place for everyone, right? Heh, though not all of us can chew nightshade and destroy armies with a breeze like our great leader and emperor! Ha ha!"

"Emperor? And who woul-"

"You. Return to your duties." The voice of Yen'fay interrupted her, turning both hers and the young man's heads. The cavalier gave a salute to Yen'fay, his attitude turning serious for the first time since he arrived.

"Yes, sir!" He turned, flashed another smile at her, and went strolling on his merry way, a rather bemused woman left in his wake.

 _'He is certainly a cheery sort, now isn't he…?'_ she thought, a bit mystified.

Blinking away her feelings, she gave Yen'fay her full attention while trying to read his face as to guess what happened inside the tent. She failed miserably. She might as well been looking at a rock for all the emotion he showed.

"Well? What is to happen to me? I hope it's good news, heh heh…" She chucked weakly, a nervous undertone cutting in.

"Supplies are to be given to you and then you shall leave. This is a warzone and as such no place for one like you."

"Leave? I see…" she murmured softly, her eyes drifting downward as her mind raced. She found she didn't what to leave this man's side. It seemed like such a silly and whimsical reason, but she had the faintest sense of nostalgia when she stood by his side. It was like she had done so before, but that wasn't quite right though. It felt similar yet was markedly different at the same time. And, for some reason beyond her, she felt the strong need to clench on to that feeling. It certainly wasn't like she had anywhere else to go that she knew of after all.

"And what if I were to join your army?" she proposed. "I'm sure I could be of some help."

"What!?" His stone mask cracked to show his shocked face before hardening into a frown. "Why would you ask for such a thing? You hold no obligation to me nor would I hold you here a moment longer. Go now, there is nothing for you here."

"I believe that's for me to decide." She went on with a rush, going against his protests. "I know I'm capable fighting with the sword." And she realized as she said that, she did indeed know how to use a sword. A few techniques for wielding a sword came to mind when she saw some among the gear being carted around so she knew how to handle one at least. "And what you fight for is a worthy cause, is it not?" Call it intuition or ungrounded reasoning, but it was hard for her to imagine this man fighting for a selfish reason or with ill-intention. What he was fighting for was important, she was sure of it.

"…Aye, we fight to unite all under one flag in the name of peace," he answered quietly after a time, his face revealing not even an inch of emotion once more. "A goal many consider worthy and have taken up steel for. There is no need for you to do the same. Prithee, listen to my words: begone from this place."

"And where would I go?" she shot back "I don't remember the first thing about my past, not even my own name. I would only be wandering in search for some piece of it, but I doubt I could simply uncover my past doing that. I understand you're trying to protect me, but if I can do some good fighting then I would gladly do so. I can make my own decisions," she finished resolutely.

"You…" he started before a small sigh escaped his lips. "…I see you are determined not to yield an inch. If my words cannot move you then so be it…Your blade now fights for the Valmese Empire." He turned his back to her and added something so softly that she almost didn't hear it.

"I only hope you do not regret your decision."

With those ominous words, he strode away and, only after a moment's hesitation, did the nameless woman followed.

* * *

 **Ending Note: There it is. The beginning of what I hope to be my magnum opus – at least for Fire Emblem Awakening. Now this is an idea I got from the A support between female MU and Walhart when Walhart said this: "What if I met you instead of Excellus?" With those words this concept grew and expanded in my mind and took control of it like one of those Khan worms. Of course, it won't be as cut and dry as Robin replacing Excellus, but still a way different story than Robin meeting Chrom.**

 **Please review if you think this is a story that deserves to be continued or not. Also, tell me what you think of it and if any problems popped up such grammar issues or spelling mistakes that you saw. Lastly, as I put in the description, this will be a story with a LOT of OCs. That is the only way I thought I could make this story work, so if you hate that sort of thing, here's your warning. But with that, I bid you a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening/night! (Just to cover my bases!)**

 **Edited on 3/1/17**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Nintendo still has the rights to Fire Emblem and its characters. Only the OCs in this story are mine. However I'm going to try my hand at winning the rights from them in a poker game. Wish me luck.**

Chapter 1: An Eye for Battle

It surprised the nameless woman to say in the least just how fast events moved along in the army. Already after joining the Valmese army the amnesic woman found herself rushed out for an assignment in the field without even so much as a night's passage to rest. Thankfully for her, Yen'fay was the one in command of that assignment. She was a last minute addition with a small force of around 100 Cavaliers. Their destination was the town she had saw before from afar with the mission being to find and capture members of a resistance that were plaguing Valmese supply convoys with speedy attacks before fleeing into the shadows.

The nameless woman thumbed the handle of her bronze sword thoughtfully as she rode in the midst of the group, trying to ignore the pins of pain that had developed in her stomach as she rode upon a rather rickety horse (which didn't help matters). She had been pushed out so quickly that time to eat was impossible unfortunately. She didn't believe it would impact her effectiveness in battle, but it certainly served as a distraction.

Standing up in her saddle, she tried to catch a glimpse of Yen'fay. She found him in the lead, naturally, and he looked the same as he always did: like a man carved from rock…riding a horse. How did he do it?

"Hey! Looks like we meet again! Wouldja fancy that!" Surprised at a voice coming from behind, she twisted in the saddle to see the Cavalier she met outside the command tent.

"Oh, hello," she greeted him with a smile. It was hard not to smile back while basking in the man's sun-beaming grin. "So it seems."

"Wow, how lucky am I? I mean, to run into you again so soon? And to fight together at that! Fabulous!" he examined happily as he drew up aside her on his own horse.

"Hold on," he went on with a shocked expression before she could even open her mouth. "I ain't even introduced myself, have I!? I'm being as rude as poison ivy, I am." He flicked his thumb at himself. "I'm Lennard. A pleasure to meet ya. What's yours?"

The woman's smile dropped at the mention of names. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lennard, but I'm afraid I'm unable to tell you my name. I don't know it myself. In fact, I can't even recall a scrap of my past at all," she admitted with a sad shake of her head.

"Huh!? Not even your own name? Wow, how horrible!" He crossed his arms, his brow furrowed in thought, before his bright grin was back in full force. "Well then, how 'bout this: you just stick with me like a bee on lavender until we figure out your name! I reckon a good friend is what you need to make back some memories. That sound good to you?"

She couldn't help but feel her lips tug up a little at his logic, but she nodded. "Sure. That sounds like a plan. I'll make sure I don't make trouble for you."

"Hold!" She heard Yen'fay shout, bringing the group to a stop. She realized that during her conversation they made their way until a stone's throw away from the town's edge. Though, now the town revealed itself larger than she anticipated from a distance. It was more like a city in size.

There was no movement to be found whatsoever within it.

Yen'fay turned his horse around, facing his troops. "Today we clash with the remnants of Abundancia and their resistance. We shall bring a swift end to their rebels," he declared in a voice that carried clearly despite his not raising it. A roar of approval from the Cavaliers answered him back. He continued, "Grant no mercy to those who fight. If they give or hold no arms then take them as prisoners." He aimed his horse forward and drew one of his Killing Edges.

"Go!"

He rushed off with only dust rising where he was and the shouting Cavaliers followed suit - the sound of hooves and metal all that she could hear. The outskirts of the town came fast, and soon they rode on the cobble street that made up the main road. Around them, the stone buildings on their sides were fortified, with barricades set up that cut off access to all of the side streets in an obvious attempt to funnel the Valmese force. This left only one way for them - the main road.

It was when they came near to the wide town-center that she could finally see who their enemy was: A force that was notable smaller than their own -about a third, if even that- stood in their way. They were all wearing the heavy armor of Knights, a prominent green marking their armor. They took up positions in a line across the main road, forming themselves into a horizontal wall of steel between the buildings, cutting off access to the open plaza.

 _'So they mean to fight us one at a time…'_ Before she realized it, her mind fell into overdrive: dozens of different strategies raced through her head to combat against the enemy's tactic. What was strange was the fact that as she got even closer, her eyes were able to size up and pinpoint the enemy's skills and experience with ease. The way they shifted their weight uneasily, the way they held their spears far too tightly, and how they shot glances to their sides as if to make sure they still had someone next to them for the fight. All this told her they were inexperienced, but a small voice in the back of her head informed her that they still could make it a costly battle with their superior defense if they were to fight Yen'fay's force one by one, stopping the flow of battle in their favor.

In that case, she only needed one weak link to change the flow in their favor, just one…

 _'There!'_ A Knight on the left side. He was breathing hard, almost as if in pain and his step was unsteady. Ether he was sick or simply had not the stamina to handle wearing such heavy armor. Regardless, he was the weakest and would fall quickly. Then, with the enemy position disrupted they would find themselves fighting not off one front like they planed but multiple fronts.

Her plan set, she dug her heels deeper into her horse's ribs to urge it to catch up to Yen'fay. As soon she was within earshot she shouted over the rushing winds.

"Yen'fay!" As soon as she saw him turn his head, she pointed. "Left flank, fourth Knight from the wall! Attack him!"

She saw him dip his head in a nod, then, as they were about to crash right into the solid green wall of steel, he threw his hand leftward. "Left!"

He rode his horse ahead of them, and he leaped from his saddle - flying right towards the unfortunate Knight.

"Begone!" He hit the ground rolling and came out of it with a slash through the small openings in the knight's armor in one smooth motion with blinding speed, killing him instantly.

"Forward!" Pushing down the body, he then flipped out of the way of the following Cavaliers that jumped over the fallen body. The passing mass of horses and men knocked over more knights like flattened grass and widened the gap.

The battle (if it could be really called that) was over in seconds. When they saw nothing but spears and swords pointed at their faces and backs, the green forces' will quickly broke and they surrendered - a wave of clashing as they dropped their weapons.

Bringing her house to a stop, the amnesiac woman watched as the Valmese rounded up the Abundancians. She let out a small sigh in relief. She was happy at the fact that a battle that could have turned ugly hadn't taken place. While she was mentally prepared to fight, and even kill, she was still relieved she didn't have to – at least not yet.

"Ha! That was amazing!" She turned to see Lennard coming right up to her, shaking his head in wonder. "I heard you shouting. To think that you would just tell General Yen'fay what to do like that! And he actually listened too! Then the bad guys gave up just like that!? Amazing!"

"I only noticed the weak spot in their line, that's all," she said modestly, the praise making her embarrassed. "Honestly, I doubt Yen'fay needed my input to win a battle. I'm just glad there were no unnecessary bloodshed."

"Yeah, the grass always smells better in the morning without some corpse stinking up the place." The Cavalier nodded sagely with a thoughtful rub of the chin.

"Er, yes, I suppose that is true…"

They gave their attention to Yen'fay who was just finishing disarming the now-captive knights. He gave quick orders to separate the troops into two groups: one guard the prisoners and one to search the rest of the town for any stragglers. Lennard and, surprising to her, the amnesiac woman were among the ones given the job to search the town.

"Allow none to escape. Now go!" Yen'fay finished with a swiping hand. The troops that weren't assigned to watch the prisoners scattered to begin their hunt. Robin just looked around awkwardly; she didn't have the faintest idea of where to start.

Lennard was quick to pick up on this. "Hey, ain't knowin' where to go? Then why don't you and me look together? I would be goin' by myself, but it'll be nice to have someone with your smarts around."

"Just because I helped win one battle doesn't make me smart," she pointed out seriously, then eased up. "But you're right. It would be wiser for us to search together. Where do you suggest we begin first?"

"Weeeell..." He started craning his head around. "How 'bout we find the biggest house we can and start there? Bigger houses mean more places to hide for the bad guys, right? I reckon this here main road can lead us to a place like that easy-peasy!"

Robin shrugged. "Okay, that's as good a place to start as any, I suppose. Lead on."

They rode off on the opposite side of the main square from where they entered, and soon enough they were by themselves. Lennard spent more of the time talking as they scanned the nearby buildings. The town was truly deserted, with no signs of life to be found. When she pointed this out to Lennard he shrugged and suggested that they might have left because of the resistance taking up resident there.

A few minutes later, something occurred to her about a question she didn't have a chance to ask before.

"Excuse me, Lennard?"

"Mmm? Yeah, what is it?" he said distantly, eyes still surveying the buildings around them.

"You mentioned an emperor before, and I wanted to ask - who is that exactly?"

"What!?" His head whipped around at that, his eyes bulging out from shock. "What's the matter with you!? How could you NOT know about the greatest man who ever lived!? Were you born under a rock or somethin'!?"

"…" She just stared at him with arms crossed and eyes glaring ice.

"…Oh, right. The whole 'not knowing your past' thingy." He shrugged sheepishly, a hand rubbing his nape.

"Yes. That whole thing," the woman stated dryly, rolling her eyes. "So who is this emperor?"

"Well, he used to be the king of Valm, my home country. But soon he's gonna be the emperor of Valm, the whole continent!" he explained with a puffed up chest. "His name is Walhart, and first thing you need to know 'bout him is that he's the strongest warrior in the world! He's the toughest man, the most fearless hero, and he never EVER runs from a fight! There ain't no one who can even come close to his strength!"

"Is that so? And he's the leader of this army?"

"Oh yeah, and I'm proud to fight for him and for his dreams," he declared with a soft voice, gazing upward at the sky with a thoughtful face. "One day he'll make a world without war or any of that bad stuff. A world where good people won't be preyed on by the bad ones. A happy world…"

"I imagine that's a world everyone would want to live in. That does sounds nice indeed," Robin agreed. "So he would aspire to make such a world, huh? A lofty goal to be sure. I can tell you really admire him. I hope one day I can meet him myself."

"Ha! That would be beyond fabulous, wouldn't it!? My biggest wish is to meet and talk to him. About what, it don't matter. I bet I would feel like a sunflower under his great rays either way…" He sighed dreamily, his head lost in the clouds.

 _'…_ _I'm starting to think maybe it's less admiring and more like worshiping with him.'_ She chuckled, a faint smile on her face, and faced forward.

"Hey!" she shouted, snapping Lennard out of his daze, and pointed ahead. "It appears we found our 'biggest' house."

And the house certainly was a big one – a mansion even. It rose tall, built more like a castle than anything else with its stone marble structure. Its many spires stood high, easily dwarfing all of the houses by far. Its entrance lain behind massive iron gates that barred the way to the courtyard from any aspiring assailants.

Lennard let out a low whistle. "Well, that is a biggie, ain't it? So this is what one of them real big and rich nobles have for houses. Can't wait to get in!"

She raised a suspicious brow at his eager tone. "Why do I get the feeling that you want to sight-see more than anything else?"

He just offered a sheepish grin in reply, and they drank in the image of the castle-mansion a moment longer before Lennard drew a bronze sword and urged his horse forward. "Well, no time to stand around slack-jawed until nighttime. Let's get to it."

"All right, but don't go too far ahead. We don't know if there could be more people nearby," she warned, following after him as they reached the gate. She got off her horse as Lennard did the same, tying them to a post. She then examined the gate and its lock. They both looked very sturdy.

"I don't think we're getting past these gates any time. We might need to find some other way through. Hm, let's try-" She stopped when Lennard pushed the gate and it swung open with creaking ease.

"…Well, I stand corrected," she amended to a beaming Lennard. "But that begs the question: why are the gates unlocked?"

"Maybe they left in a hurry and forgot," he offered with a shrug. "It ain't really mattering right now though. If we can get in than the bad guys can too, so let's hurry and find 'em."

"Mmm. I suppose that is true," she agreed slowly, though a nagging feeling of doubt bothered her still. Regardless, she followed him into the grandly-sized front yard, not straying far from the stone path leading to the front door. The path was lined with bushes full of flowers with large fields of grass stretching beyond them, surrounding the entire mansion.

Lennard stopped briefly to take a long whiff of the flowers. "Ahhh. Carnations, I think, but I ain't seen green ones ever before," he commented, talking more to himself than to her.

She went on without a word and stopped before the large carved wooden doors. They look pretty study and she doubted neither she nor Lennard could knock them down. Then again, if the gate wasn't locked…

She was reaching for the knob when something she noticed stopped her in her tracks.

"Well, what's the hold up? Did they remember to lock this one?" She heard Lennard say, coming up behind her.

"The door. It's open, and there's smudged dirt on the handle." The door swing wide with a faint creak at her touch and she stepped softly inside – carefully, in case there were anyone unfriendly waiting on the other side.

Lennard asked, "Is anyone inside?" When she replied with a shake of her head, he came in with a soft 'whoa' as his eyes absorbed the interior.

The inside was much more extravagant then anything the woman had ever seen (which didn't really mean much for her, being amnesiac and all). The floors were gleaming marble with white, spiraling pillars rising up to the tall ceiling above them. Fine gold-threaded and deep emerald-green banners decorated the walls, hanging over the duo's heads. There were some lower ones within reach, but these were ripped off or had disappeared altogether.

"…Wow. This is a lot more fancy than I thought it would be," Lennard remarked as his head twisted and turned everywhere in wonder. "The top of this place goes on for miles! And look at those windows – these rich folk have gold to spend, don't they?"

"Lennard. I know it's a pretty grand view, but we have a mission to do, remember?" she reminded him. "We need to stay focused."

"Huh? Oh right, right," his head went back to hers distractedly before giving himself a brisk slap on the face, "okay. I'm focused now. So here's what I was thinking: you start here and I go up the stairs to the tippy-top. We check out the rooms and meet in the middle when we're finished."

"I don't think splitting up is a good idea," she advised, a watchful eye still examining the mansion. "It's best that we stay together. It's careless to be alone in here. If we're ambushed we can then protect each other in that case."

"You worry too much!" He waved dismissively, heading up the staircase that commanded the center of the entrance hall. "I ain't about to go down like some weakling! I've trained to be the strongest, ya know. Have some faith in me, all right?"

"Hey, wait! Lennard!" she shouted but he was already gone to the second floor, leaving her alone. "…So much for bringing me along for my 'smarts'. He's going to get himself killed with an attitude like that…" she grumbled.

With a sigh of defeat, she decided to get going herself. The quicker she searched, the quicker she can meet back up with Lennard. There were two doors on opposite sides leading to different wings of the building. Not seeing anything that distinguished one from the other, she chose the one on the left. The sound of ghostly footsteps echoed back at her as she reached the door, and she pushed through it.

Finding herself in a long hallway, she began opening doors as she went and glancing inside each one as she moved along. The first one was what looked to be a dining room. After that was a kitchen and then after that was just a long string of empty rooms.

No sign of anyone.

Throughout the hallway, there were a sparse number of portraits. There used to be a much larger number of them lining the hall, judging from the dust marks. They were all of different people, but most of them had the same features: dark green hair and long slender eyebrows that flared up at the outer edges, giving them all a sharp and haughty gaze. It was a bit unnerving.

"Creepy… I wouldn't want to meet one of them in a dark alley. Or here, for that matter," she muttered, a small chill running down her. It was almost like their eyes were following her…

Tearing her eyes from them with another shudder, she forged onward to the last door and peeked in.

And what she saw made her breathless.

It was a huge library – almost as enormous as the entrance hall. Rows upon rows of books were arrayed in their shelves, going up to the second floor even, with every wall being nothing but books. She slowly walked to the center with wonder seizing her heart as she spun around, absorbing it all. Her feet found themselves sweeping around the sides of the library, her eyes eagerly drinking in all the titles. One wall was dedicated to history books, another was exclusively journals, and yet more were filled with information on a variety of animals. But the one she froze at and the one that lit a flame of passion inside her chest was the section filled with books on strategy and tactics.

She could feel her cheeks warm up with excitement as her fingertips brushed across the worn covers. Apparently, who owned this library enjoyed this section greatly. Sliding one out, she began reading with zeal.

"Wait, no…I shouldn't." She pulled back after a minute of avid reading about Weapon Triangle Theory, shaking her head to force out the urge to keep reading. "I can't waste time reading books now of all times…"

She sighed sadly and regretfully placed the book back in its home. She cheered herself up, however, by promising that she would buy some strategy books later, and resumed her search.

She paused at a pedestal with a glass case set aside. There were only broken shards left, leaving the tomes within exposed. Just by looking at the few that were left she could tell these were no normal tomes. A wave of power could be felt glimmering from them. Some small voice in her head told her that these were magic tomes. She felt her hand reaching out for what she instinctively knew was a thunder tome. She lifted it up in her hand, a few cracking bolts arched up her arms. The feeling wasn't unpleasant, rather, a small warmth filled her.

"This could prove very useful in a fight," she muttered to herself and she placed in the only place where it would fit: the pocket that had ash in it, pulling her back to her musing upon her past. "Mm. Was I a traveling mage perhaps? Interesting…More questions to add to the list, I suppose."

Filing the info away for later, she turned her attention to the one thing left of interest in the room: a pair of huge chairs and a table that stood before a grand fire place. There was a leather-bound book resting on the table, and, reasoning that it was probably the last book anyone read in this place, she leafed through it for any answers.

The book was titled " _Exquisite Birds of Ylisse_." A quick glimpse inside gave her beautiful and vibrant drawings of all kinds of birds with their habits, diets and facts written beside them in a neat but fancy hand.

"Well, they certainly look exquisite…" she murmured, flipping through it rapidly as to be done, but she was stopped cold by one entry.

The picture was that of a bird that strongly resembled her own cloak with a similar black coloring and a purple pattern, but that wasn't what stopped her. With trembling hands, she read the passage next to it:

 _'_ _Unlike a large number of the specimens aforementioned, this is a bird dipped in blurred mystery and concealed symbolism; unique and made largely unknown outside of certain circles throughout the world by intent. By unorthodox means, I was able to gleam knowledge of, not only the proof of this specimen's existence, but details of its habitats and history. It is known to be located specifically in two areas within the desert kingdom of Plegia: on Carrion Isle and Origin Peak. This bird holds strong ties to the religion (and often called cult) known as the Grimleal on account of the unusual patterning on its feathers. As such it has been termed 'The Bird of Grima' by superstition members who often use the bird's bones and feathers in their worship. Its formal name however, is quite mundanely known as the Plegian Robin. Its diet cons-'_

She slammed the book closed there with fast, fanatic breaths. That name: Robin. It filled her with such a whirlwind of feelings that it was hard to tell what emotions she was even experiencing!

"Robin. Ro-bin…" she whispered, trying out the name and liking how familiar it felt rolling off her tongue. "My name is Robin… Heh, that feels soooo right! Hahahaha! My name is Robin! Yes! Well, I suppose that's one mystery solved!"

She had found her name! And just like that a heavy weight was lifted from her shoulders that she didn't even know was there. She felt like…stronger and more complete, like a puzzle that was one more step closer to being whole. No…in a way, she felt whole already. She may still not remember her past, but now that she found her name she didn't feel the doubts that not knowing not a single scrap of her past had bred bothering her as greatly. She had the core piece of who she was - a name. And she could work with that. She may not have most of her past, but at least she still had a future going for her.

But one thing did trouble her still. She wasn't sure if it was a memory or not but a voice calling her by name was now running through her mind. It was just a ghost of a whisper, but the voice felt so natural to her - familiar. It reminded her of the man in the dream she had, though it was already becoming hard to recall details from it…

Then screams ended all wondering thoughts in her head.

She whipped around as a second scream echoed from upstairs. This one a cry for help and it sounded like…

"Lennard! No!"

She sprinted up the spiral staircase that lead to the second floor and busted out into another hallway. Speeding through the halls, she heard one last shout that lead her to a wide open door.

Crashing through it, she beheld Lennard backed in a corner surrounded and trying to fend off three Thieves. From sight alone she saw that two of them were wounded already, but it was all too clear that Lennard had had the bad end of the clash. His hand was pressed against a deep gash on his abdomen as blood streamed from between his fingers. He needed help, and he needed it fast.

Robin pulled out her thunder tome in a flash and flicked it open with a smooth motion, feeling the magic flowing from it and through her. As bands of magical words and symbols appeared around her. The closest Thief turned to face her.

Too late.

A ball of electric energy flew from Robin's hands and blasted right into his chest, making him kneel over dead, and leaving a way for Lennard to escape.

"Lennard, run!" she urged desperately. "Get behind me!"

"G-got it," he groaned, lurching over the smoking body and past the surprised Thieves. He took up a safe position behind her.

 _'Good. Now all that's left is to take out the trash,'_ she thought harshly as she readied herself.

The two Thieves rushed at her. One went in with a backhanded jab to her torso. She attempted to step-sided it, but wasn't quick enough, and the edge grazed her ribs.

Hissing in pain, she held out her hand. With a crackle and a sparkling flash, the Thief's face was enveloped with lightning before he had time to widen his eyes. The last Thief –and the one that wasn't wounded– came in with an upward slash. She was ready for it this time.

She sprung backwards out of reach and countered with another spell as soon as she landed. The Thief raised his sword, blocking the blunt of the energy. Some sparks made it through, giving him an assortment of burns dotting his arms and legs.

"I-I got it!" was all Robin heard as Lennard came in and skewered the unprepared Thief right through the heart. He went limp on the sword and fell when it was pulled free, ending the fight.

Robin slumped against the doorway, panting and chest heaving as adrenaline slowly drained from her system. She felt like she was about to collapse at any minute from fatigue. She gave her wound a quick examination, but it was a simple cut. It could wait for now.

"We *huff* did it," Robin gasped, brimming with relief. "Lennard, I told you to *huff* to stick together! …Lennard? Lennard!"

Lennard had almost collapsed, held up only by his sword and a nearby wall. She rushed over to him as fast as she could. Up close, his gash appeared even more severe, running deep and wide, and blood was still gushing out.

"Lennard, this is a really serious wound! We need to get you to a healer quickly! Can you stand up?"

"Y-yeah, course I can…" he muttered, a weak smile on his face. He pushed himself up to prove it...then almost fell right back over, only standing thanks to her aid.

"Ouf! You're in no condition to be going anywhere by yourself," she groaned from underneath him (he was not light at all). "Here, I'll help carry you, but you'll need to put in some effort too. I can't carry you by myself. Come on. And keep some pressure on that wound. You're not going to die on me!"

"Heh. G-got it, boss."

Together they labored back down the stairs. Luckily for them, the thieves they dispatched appeared to be the only ones inside the mansion and they made to the entrance with no further problems. After what seemed like hours, they made it before the door. Robin's whole body was like an overworked muscle, screaming at her that they needed rest, and she felt ready to drop herself.

"We're…almost…there, Lennard," she huffed, gasping in-between words. "Just…hang in there, okay?"

She only heard nonsensical mumbles in reply. That wasn't good. If he fell unconscious, she doubted that she could keep him going. So as she trudged onward she tried talking and nudging him awake, which worked long enough to carry them past the door and down the path.

It was when she was past the gate that she saw a sight that made her pained chest swell with joy and hope. Apparently they were in the mansion longer than she thought because she could see soldiers in red searching the nearby houses. Valmese soldiers.

"Help! We have wounded! Help!" Her shouts drew the soldiers' gaze, and upon seeing the duo, came running with haste.

 _'_ _It should be all fine now.'_ She let out a sharp exhale in relief and started lumbering towards them.

Funny. For some reason, she suddenly felt like she was floating. That didn't seem right to her, but before she could spare any more brain power on it the ground came up to say hello. Then it all went black.

 _...  
_

Robin found herself gradually drifting toward consciousness, the dim awareness of dull pain emitting from her stomach rousing her from darkness. She groaned and opened her eyes to see red, lots of red.

"Oh! Y-y-you're awake!"

The sound of the very soft and apprehensive voice turned her head from the red canvas roof to see a girl sitting next to her on a small chair. The girl yelped softly as soon as Robin looked at her and, for a moment, she thought the girl was going to run away in sheer fright. She instead clutched the heal staff she had to her chest.

"Are you f-f-feeling okay?" she stuttered out, her eyes trying to make contact with Robin's. And by try, she meant that every time the girl did so her eyes would end up darting away. It was an awkward thing to watch for Robin, really.

"I…I think so," Robin said slowly as she gradually sat up in the cot she was resting in. "Where am I? What happened?"

"Well, you collapsed, and you're in your tent…a-a-aren't you?" She looked panicked like she did something wrong.

"I'm kind of a new recruit here so I wouldn't know if I even have a tent y- Ugh!" A strong throb of pain exploded in her gut, making the girl yip in surprise again.

"Hun…Hung…" the amnesiac choked out.

The girl only stared at her like the woman was crazy. "Huh? Hung? …Oh! Hungry? Then, um, here. E-eat this. It'll help." Putting down her staff, she then brought out a tray with a bowl of stew and bread arrayed on it.

Robin's mouth instantly began drooling and unable to help herself, swiped the tray from her, digging in with gusto. She didn't realize just how hungry she was. She felt like she could eat two horses!

The meal was gobbled down in a matter of seconds, and the pain in her gut lessened to a manageable dull ache. With a happy sigh, her gaze went back to the girl and gave her a better look-over.

She was rather…small. Even sitting down in a chair, Robin guessed the girl would barely come up to her chest if they were both standing, and Robin wasn't exactly a tower of a person either. The girl's green eyes peeked out from under neck-long brown hair that messily draped down, covering almost her entire face. It made it difficult to make out any of her features, though she seemed to be very young, no more than 18, if that. She wore the dress of a Cleric that seemed contradictory to her timid demeanor, being that it was bright orange and drew the eye quite easily.

"Thank you for that; I was rather famished. My name is Robin (saying her name still sent thrills through her!). What's your name?" Robin spoke softly as to not spook the girl.

"Oh! You're w-w-welcome, but um, I'm simply a lowly Cleric. So I'm not really m-much. I'm like, like a pipsqueak! A big one! Um, I mean a small one. A-and also I'm-" She went on and on, listing reasons why she wasn't that important with a furious blush that her bangs were unable to hide. "-But um, if, if you insist, my name is Mei. Nice to m-m-meet you," she finished after a minute of rambling.

"Well, I'm still very pleased to meet you too, Mei. Even if you're a lowly Cleric," Robin joked with a teasing smile which made Mei give a bashful smile. It reminded her a lot of- "Ah! Mei, I have something important I need to ask you!"

Robin's sudden shout and serious tone wiped off Mei's smile, reverting her back to her nervous phase. "The last thing I remember is collapsing while trying to help my friend, Lennard. I need to know what happened to him. Did he make it?"

"Oh, um, I'm really really sorry, but I don't know anything about that…Sorry," she informed her, head hanging in shame at being unable to help. "All I was told was to heal you. You had no fatal wounds, so t-that's good, right? I think you mostly fell over from um, hunger."

"Oh, I see…" Robin whispered sadly. "I hope he made it okay. His wounds were pretty bad…But if he did survive then he would be at the medical tent, correct? Then I'll just go there and-"

"NO, NO!" Mei's hands appeared in a rush and forced her rising figure back down into the cot – not too lightly at that. "You're not going anywhere you, you dummy!"

Robin winced at the force of Mei's hands pressing down on her chest. "Whoa! Er, I just wanted to see if-"

"Fie, fie! I said no, no and I mean it, it!" Her face was beet red and she was panting slightly.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…T-t-that was um, too much, wasn't it?" Mei asked with an uncomfortable whisper.

"Oh no. If the goal was to frighten me half to death I would say you came very close," Robin replied, her face still frozen with a wince. She was then very aware of Mei's hands that were still pressed down on her chest. "Um, would you mind terribly to let go? You're kind of making it hard to breathe."

Mei's hands shot away like they were burned, her face now red for a different reason. "Oh! Sorry, sorry. There you go. Um, better?"

"Yes, much better. So about leaving my bed…"

"You cannot." The cleric swelled up with authority, but quickly deflated under Robin's raised eyebrow. "I-I mean that I would get in big, big trouble if you left so um, please don't."

Robin sighed at the whole state of affairs she had found herself in. Then an idea came to her. "So I can't leave the tent for any reason, correct?" At Mei's hesitant nod she continued, "All right then, if that's the case, what if you were to go and check on Lennard in my place while I stay here? Would there be still a problem in that case?"

Mei bit her lip as she thought about Robin's offer. "Well…my job is to make really, really sure you're healed up. That means you don't leave the tent. But if I left, I…I think it would be okay?" She dropped her head, letting out a small moan of exasperation. "F-f-fine! I'll go and see if your friend is well."

Mei gave a little squeak as Robin pulled her into a big hug without warning. "That's great! I very deeply appreciate your help. I owe you one. Now chop, chop and off you go!"

Mei stayed in place, still reeling mentally from the surprise hug. "Huh, n-n-now!?" At Robin's nod, she moaned. "Fine, fine. J-j-just stay here while I go go." She stood up, brushing off her dress. She was on her way out before a thought occurred to the amnesiac woman.

"Wait, Mei." When she did Robin went on. "Before you go, there's something else I want to ask. I'm just a soldier, and I imagine having a personal healer to take care of me would be considered special treatment, right? So who went through all this trouble just to make sure I was taken care of?"

Mei blinked at that. "Oh, who? Um, it was that new g-general who told me to make sure you're okay. I believe his n-name was Yen'fay."

* * *

 **Ending Note: Another chapter, hurrah! I thank Gunlord500 and Ziodyne967 for theirs reviews, and for expressing hope for it. It made me feel this was worth continuing. SO! Robin has regained her name as well as showed off some of her skills! And! I introduce two of my OCs: Lennard and Mei. Perhaps some foreshadowing thrown in as well hmmm? Some noteworthy occurrences regardless. Again, be sure to leave some thoughts on the story so far or point out mistakes I may have made in a review if you have the time. Reviews are my lifeblood! Anyway, I wish you all a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening/night!**

 **Edited on 3/1/17**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Lost the poker game. I had Walhart for a minute there, but tried raising to get Lucina and got beat. Might've helped if I actually knew how to play poker. Ahh well. Oh, and Nintendo owns Fire Emblem and its characters.**

Chapter 2: A Night of Change

Yen'fay was alone in the dead of night as he paced through the dark and shadow-infested Valmese camp with only the moon, the stars and the occasional torch to lend their light to illuminate his way. The calm air brought with it cool winds that felt agreeable to his skin. It was a pleasant night to behold for sure, but any joy to be had from such a night was lost on the lone general.

Beneath his calm exterior, Yen'fay's thoughts were a sea of troubled storms with no end in sight – though none who gazed upon him would ever discern so. He was a man of solitude and had always found that showing emotion was a task with little ease for him. Except now it was needed that he develop it to a fine art, to show nothing but a mask lest he betrayed his own self, or worse.

His feet ended their silent march before an unmarked tent. It was uniform to the rest that surrounded it yet inside held the blunt of the troubles that burdened his heart at the moment: a woman he discovered in the middle of a field and who joined the army of the empire despite his warnings.

Already, with not a single day past since he found her, had she collapsed during battle. He was pained to learn so, but knew she recovered and needed only rest to earn her strength back. A night and a day had passed since the raid on the Abundancian town, and no doubt there were to be more raids for him to lead in the days ahead, and more bloodshed wrought by his blade…

His hand reached out to the tent flap to look within and check on the woman's condition but hesitated. With an inward sigh, he pulled his hand back. He reasoned he might intrude on her rest, and merely stood there, unsure of what to do.

When his path happened upon the woman's he had thought her a lost traveler or perhaps a refugee fleeing from the Valmese Empire. His aim was to warn her away and nothing more, but she revealed to him that which give him pause: the fact that her past and even her name was unknown to her. In a lapse of judgment that he still cursed himself to no end, he brought her with him to the camp. She was needful of aid and he foolishly thought he could provide it.

But the gods were cruel to his mortal plight. By his own hands did he dragged her into the insatiable maw of the beast, thinking she could be helped. It was for naught however, and she had joined him inside the belly of the beast. She had thought him attempting to protect her - a lie that deceived the both of them.

His hand tightly clutched the hilt of his blade, the only show of the flood of emotion within. She had already risked life and limb to rescue a comrade, one who she only encountered that same day. That display showed her kindness and willingness to sacrifice for others in great measure. She was…a better person than him. His hand relaxed as he released a long, low breath, and a resigned calm engulfed his heart once more.

He had already made his decision. The path he walked was still unchanged. The responsibility of watching over her was his alone for he was at fault for bringing her to the camp. The bones had been cast…and now there was yet another he must protect. Resolution set, he turned from the tent to retire for the night.

Then the screams began.

With nary a second's passage, metal rang as Yen'fay's Killing Edge was freed of its sheath, posed and prepared to cut down his foes. His ears swiftly pinpointed the source of the screams as to the north. His feet were posed to speed forth toward the pandemonium of shrill howls and cries when the amnesiac woman suddenly burst out of her tent. She was arrayed to fight already, her hand wielding a thunder tome and a bronze sword at her hip.

"Yen'fay!" she shouted in surprise at seeing the general outside her tent's entrance. "What's the situation? I hear screaming! Are we under attack?!"

Yen'fay inwardly cursed himself for not foreseeing this. He should have known she would not balk at the sounds of death. "It appears to be so but battle is for the able. I would not draw you into such if you are not."

"And I am able. Even if I wasn't, I still would fight. I don't wish to do so against your orders however, but I don't think we have the time to argue, Yen'fay," she told him with a fiery passion in her eyes.

"…" The woman was willful, and very stubborn, very much like someone else he knew. He knew she would never give an inch. Before he could say anything more, small lights rising in the night skies commanded his attention as well as the woman's. As the rain of lights fell they both realized with shock what they were.

"Fire arrows, oh no," the woman moaned as the volley hit an area outside of their vision. A red glow lit up in haste and more screams erupted. The woman turned to him, "Yen'fay, what's in that direction?"

"Only the horses' keep and the medical tents lie in that direction."

"What?! The medical tents?" The woman was horror-stricken at the news. "Then that means- No! We have to go and help!" With nary another word, she charged off toward the fire and howls.

"Stop!" His words did nothing to slow her. With a muttered "foolish," he raced after her into the fray.

)(

Robin pushed her way through a stream of soldiers carrying either buckets of water or a spear. The black smoke loomed ever closer as well as the chorus of clashing metal. She broke out of a last set of tents before she could finally witness the cause of the nightmarish noise.

The scene looked as bad as it sounded.

It was a large clearing which, judging from the broken posts that was arrayed around it, used to be the horse pen. Green-clad Mercenaries and Archers were swarming the camp with shouting vigor in force. They, along with a small sprinkling of Mages backing them, were in heated battle against their Valmese Fighters, Soldiers, and Cavaliers, all in equal measure. The numbers and quality of equipment on each side were even, but definitely not the momentum.

The Mercenaries' swords were overcoming the Fighters' axes with their superior speed and weapon advantage. However, the Cavaliers and Soldiers were in turn faring well against them with their lances. Ultimately, the Archers and Mages were the edge that gave the enemy supremacy over the battlefield. Their arrows and spells struck down the imperial troops from afar, weakening them as the Mercenaries finished them off.

"Woman!" she turned to see Yen'fay running toward her. He had managed to round up a small force of Fighters and Cavaliers with him.

"Yen'fay," she said as he came to a stop besides her. "You brought reinforcements. Good, we'll need them to even the odds and push the enemy back."

Speaking of the enemy, she noted a distinguished figure at the edge of the clearing near the north was hanging back from the rest. He was alone in the fact that he was the only barbarian there and was leaning on an iron axe - probably the enemy commander. She could hear his bellowing voice even from her position at the opposite end.

"Come on, ya sorry bunch of dirt-licking, sky-gazing sissies! Keep these snobbish high-nosing, bowing-jumping Valmese in their place 'cause I'm sure as 'ell not going to tell the boss we didn't! Get 'em!" he bellowed, his voice carrying loud and clear despite the roaring sounds of battle.

"Looks like we found our enemy commander," she remarked to Yen'fay who nodded in agreement.

"Aye, and the men that follow him have greater fear of him than us," Yen'fay observed. "Strike him down and thus the rest will follow."

She scanned the battlefield further and could finally see the source of the smoke and fire. A group of tents on the other side of the field were set ablaze with people attempting to fight back the flames with pails of water. She searched the faces of the people but none were familiar to her. A wave of misery overcame her.

' _Did they…not make it?'_

*CRASH*

A large sound of falling timber and cloth fasten her eyes on the center tent in time to see two figures break free from the inferno. They were…

"Lennard! Mei!"

She couldn't help but heave a huge sigh in relief. With her mind set at ease with the knowledge that her friends were okay, her mind shifted back to studying the battle. If she wanted to make sure they stayed safe, she needed to come up with a working strategy.

"We need to have the Fighters focus on the Archers and Mages while our Cavaliers and Soldiers hold off the Mercenaries with their lances. If we don't their long range tactics will overwhelm us," Robin pointed out to Yen'fay.

Yen'fay didn't even bat an eye at being told how to direct his own troops. "Very well." He turned to the restless force. "Fighters! Cleave through the Archers and Mages – allow them no quarry! Cavaliers, Soldiers! Defend the Fighters – strike down all that hold a blade. Go!"

With their leader's outstretched arm guiding them, the men cried their battle calls and shot forward into the fray.

"Yen'fay, I ask that I part in the battle," Robin requested as the noise of the rampaging reinforcements lowered and the sound of clashing metal increased. "I believe that I might be able to slip through the enemy's main force and take down their commander. This battle will come to a close all the sooner if I can."

Yen'fay regarded her with a serious gaze. "…If you are able then I shall not prevent you from joining the fight. But to challenge the commander alone, that I cannot allow."

She opened her mouth to argue, but Yen'fay waved whatever she had to say down.

"Which is why I shall join the assault as well," he finished.

"What!? But you're the last person who should be on the battlefield: you're our general!"

"Aye, I may be the general, but I am a warrior foremost. That is why my blade must play its part: to ensure a swift end. Do not presume my worth too highly to escape the call to conflict. Am I understood, woman?" His tone was gentle, yet the firmness in it was unmistakable.

"…Yes, sir," She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from speaking her protests aloud. She had little doubt that Yen'fay was capable enough to defend himself. Despite that she still thought it reckless for a general to join the front lines. In the end, she was just a lowly soldier who had to follow orders. She had to trust in her general. "Oh, and General Yen'fay? My name isn't woman. Please call me Robin," this she told him with a grin.

Yen'fay looked for the first time since she met him shocked before a thin smile peeked through his face. "Then let us go…Robin."

"Heeeey!"

They both turned to see a sight Robin did not expect: Lennard riding towards them on a horse, dressed for battle, and Mei was with him too.

"Lennard! Mei! What are you doing here!?" Robin exclaimed as they rode up to her.

"Walhart would never back down from a fight and I won't either!" Lennard declared. "And besides, I got to make up for my blunder back at the mansion. So time for payback!"

"But what about your wounds?" she protested. "What if they open up during the fighting? If you push yourself too hard you could end up dead or at best a return trip to the infirmary!"

"I, um, can help with that," Mei piped up. She gulped when everyone's face were on her. "Um, all the other healers run away to safety, b-b-but I want to help! If someone goes down, down I can help them up, up!" She held up her heal staff, putting on a pout of determination.

"I…Yen'fay?" Robin turned to Yen'fay for support. "What do you say? Should we allow them? You are the general, after all."

Yen'fay's gaze swept over the field before addressing her. "To end this battle with haste, every able hand is needed. Wasting our breath is meaningless. You two shall fight," he told the duo.

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" Lennard grinned as his banged his fist against his chest. "You won't be disappointed!"

"I will n-not let you down, s-s-sir!" Mei peeped out as well.

"All right then." Robin immediately refocused her attention, mapping the battlefield in her mind. The battle was still spread-out, spilling out throughout the camp with gaps in the enemy's' formation that Yen'fay and she could easily slip through to get to the enemy commander if they were quick enough and lucky enough.

She shook her head in annoyance. There were too many troops on both sides, making traversing through the mass of fighting bodies a hassle regardless of luck or speed. Though greater numbers in a force meant greater strength in theory, the ease of that force tripping up because of its own weight and size was also great. If it was a small elite group however, the possibilities...

She stopped herself there. She needed to focus on the fight at hand, not daydream about hypotheticals that meant nothing right now!

She turned an eye on the direction that huge wave of green soldiers were advancing from. A line of Valmese were holding them back and avoiding full chaos from erupting, but the struggle to hold them back showed. If they broke through any formation they attempted would be rendered ineffective and they would have to fight man-to-man.

"Lennard and Mei, I need you two to go and support our men over there," Robin directed them. "If the line collapses then we're looking at a grueling battle. Mei, use your staff to heal anyone who needs it. Lennard, stop anyone who tries to attack Mei. Be her shield against the enemy. Do you two understand?"

"Got it, boss!"

"I understand!"

"Also," Lennard added, "I heard you remember your name now. Congratulations! I did always like robins. We need to do something special to celebrate! Why, heck, we can even make it like your birthday since you don't remember the actual day and all. So I'm thinking honey cakes and some games like 'pin the tail to the pegasus'. What do you think?"

Despite the situation, she laughed. "Heh, thank you, Lennard, that sounds like a great idea, but I think it might be best to save celebrations for a better time. Let's finish this first then we can."

"Got it! We're off!"

Robin watched them off with a smile before becoming serious as she turned back to the thick of battle, pulling out her thunder tome. "Now all that's left is to do then is bring an end to this as fast as we can."

"Verily so. Then let us cleave through and cease this clash."

With nothing more to be said they charged forward. Yen'fay led with his superior skill and speed as Robin followed behind, guiding them through the least of the chaos-filled lines like an arrow aimed right at the commander.

Their approach did not go without notice however. A trio of green-clad troops broke away from their engagements to bar the duo's path. A Mercenary was cut down before he could raise his sword by Yen'fay. The other Mercenary came swinging and tried his hand at slaying Yen'fay. He failed.

The last of the trio, as well as the only Archer, avoided a conflict against Yen'fay altogether. He instead drew and released an arrow at Robin. Moving too fast to escape it, it hit soundly in her thigh. Gritting her teeth, her tome flew open and a ball of lightning was cast right back at the Archer. The lightning splintered into small bolts on contact and burned him yet remained standing. Yen'fay fixed that soon enough with a quick slash.

After breaking off the arrow's shaft, Robin waved to Yen'fay to show she could continue, and they kept moving past the field of metal and blood. As they neared the commander more obstacles in the form of a Mage and a Mercenary took up position in front of them.

The Mage hurled an orb of fire at Yen'fay that was narrowly avoided, leaving behind a singed shoulder guard. The Mercenary followed up with a vertical hack that managed to break pass the Swordmaster's guard. The wound on his chest was little more than a nick. However, Yen'fay counter-slash was anything but. The Mercenary's headless body slumped to the ground with a dull thud.

Switching to her bronze sword, Robin dashed onward to take the incentive. The Mage was surprised to say in the least to see a pale, blonde-haired woman sprinting at him full-speed while shouting, "You're finished!" He stepped back only to slip and fall due to a pool of blood-soaked grass. Needless to say, Robin finished him off with ease. She glanced down at the body afterward with a sour taste in her mouth, but she willed herself to keep going.

There was nothing left to hinder their path to the enemy commander.

"Ready?" Robin asked the general. He nodded and strode to the Barbarian, who raised a eyebrow at his lone approach.

"Huh, an' what's this? One of da Valmese comin' to play?" The Barbarian commander's mouth gaped open to show an ugly smile. "Well, I can 'elp with that! Heh heh."

He hefted up his iron axe with a wide flourish…Only for it to immediately backfire as Yen'fay lunged forward with his Killing Edge. The Barbarian barely survived a killing blow by widely swinging, which broke the Swordmaster's stride. The Barbarian stumbled back and growled as he gingerly poked at the deep gash on his chest.

That didn't stop him for long as he roared and rushed at Yen'fay. With frightful speed born from his rage Yen'fay wasn't able to do anything but stand and defend against the blow. The Barbarian's anger gave him strength as well as his axe slammed down onto the Swordmaster's sword. The blade buckled under the weight and power of the axe, and it nearly lodged itself into Yen'fay's skull. With a tilt of the sword, the axe found itself buried in his shoulder instead. The force of the blow still brought him to his knees. With a low groan, the Swordmaster threw off the barbarian and his axe.

Robin could only stand there, cursing inside her head as she looked on from the sideline with her own sword at the ready. She didn't know Yen'fay's fighting style enough to risk a strike at the Barbarian. She could very well hit Yen'fay in the process or even possibly be hit by Yen'fay by accident. With a tense heart, she couldn't do anything but wait and search for an opportunity where she could step in.

The Barbarian grinned as he raised his axe for another attack, and swung. Yen'fay rolled out of the way and, moving so swiftly like he was never injured in the first place, launched upwards with his blade flashing. A gurgling shout sounded as the Barbarian's body flew up with the power of the slash then fell back down to the ground in a shower of blood. Robin could only blink at how quickly it ended.

The Barbarian hacked up blood as a pool of it spread from him. "G-gah! Ya Valmese scum… Don't matter anyway. The…job's…done…" With those final words, he let out his last breath.

Robin dropped to her knees from exhaustion and relief. Around her, the green-clad force, quickly realizing that their commander was dead, were tossing their weapons to the ground and raising their hands in surrender. She could see Lennard in the distance helping Mei go around and healing all the wounded. They appeared none the worse for wear. That was good news.

"Are you well?"

She lifted her head to see Yen'fay holding a hand out to her, and she gratefully took it. She noted his injured shoulder. It didn't seemed to be life-threatening, but appeared to be giving him some amount of discomfort, judging from the deeper-than-usual lines on his face. Then again, Robin had the feeling that even if he was missing the arm, he would have the same expression. It made for a morbidly funny mental image.

"Yes, I'll be just fine. I could use some rest though. Wasn't very nice of them to attack us at night, was it? Some of us need our beauty sleep," she joked with a small smile, brushing off her clothes. "But it appears we won the day."

"Yes, for now. The casualties we suffered are not severe," he noted, his face still surveying the field.

"I'm glad. It's a good thing they choose to surrender rather than fight until the end. The casualties on both sides could have been much worse…" She shook her head at the thought.

"General Yen'fay!? Where is General Yen'fay!?"

The loud shouting turned both of the duo's heads. A woman in red soldier's garb was running around frantically, her head spinning in place. The moment she caught sight of the general she speed straight towards him. She saluted at Yen'fay, her face twisted from distress.

The woman was blonde with a short and neatly trimmed haircut coming down no further than her chin. Her sharp green eyes were like needles with how unflinching they were as they gazed at Yen'fay. Robin discerned that this was a professional soldier from her strong bearing and how she carried herself with her feet posed as though she could be attacked at any moment and had already prepared her counterattack.

"You are the troop commissioner, Andrea, are you not? What news?" Yen'fay asked her.

Andrea's head dipped low into her scarf sternly. "Yes, sir, I am. And the news is dire. General Bartholomew is dead, sir."

Yen'fay's brow furrowed as he took in this news. "How did this happen?"

"An assassin, sir," Andrea revealed. "In the confusion of the attack he slipped through our defenses and slew him. We were able to corner him, but the coward chose to take his own life than to surrender. With General Bartholomew dead the next highest ranked officer is you, sir. What are your orders, General?"

It was strange. When Yen'fay learned that the general, Bartholomew, was killed he didn't act concerned about his death or showed any real emotion. Yet, Robin noticed, the moment that Andrea announced that the role of leader to the whole camp would fall to him Yen'fay seemed...regretful for a split moment. It would have been easy to miss for anyone who wasn't watching closely. That made her wonder just what kind of man Yen'fay was: to not be bothered by the death of his superior yet not willing to replace him.

"…" Yen'fay remained silent, his eyes drifting off towards the night. At one point, they met Robin's, then he squared his shoulders and the still mask returned at full strength. "Make sure the wounded are cared for. Send messengers to our scouts for their reports and interrogate the prisoners for the whereabouts of their leader – until the light of dawn if you must. This attack will not go unanswered. For now, we ready ourselves to cut at the root of the Abundancian resistance. I shall end this prolonged clash that has plagued the empire for over a year once and for all."

"Yes, general. With pleasure." Andrea left to fulfill her orders, leaving the two alone.

"Well, it looks like you'll be busy in the future," Robin remarked. "I don't imagine being in charge of a whole army will be easy, but you're more than able to handle it. I don't doubt that for a second. You'll make for a wonderful leader."

"Perhaps. To lead is a duty that demands body and soul. To waver means to risk the lives that I lead and of those I protect…" His face tilted upwards, the light of the stars bathing upon it for a moment before shadows engulfed it as he faced her. "Yet I would beg a boon of you, Robin."

"Well, of course. What is it?" she asked, a bit confused.

"It may be so that I ask too much of you," he stated, his face turning towards the battlefield. "Nor do I have the right to ask for you have trials that confront you and what I would ask will add greater weight upon your shoulders…But my mind is without a seed of doubt in your ability."

That made Robin even more confused. This was a Yen'fay she hadn't seen before. He held himself stiffly and seemed...uncertain as to what to do for the first time she met him. That was unnerving in its own right.

"What are you talking about? My ability in what?" she asked.

"…I ask that you aid me as an adviser in the matters of strategy and stratagem, Robin."

"Wait. You mean you want me to…become your tactician?" she asked slowly, not sure if she heard Yen'fay correctly or that the world's reasoning turned upside-down while she wasn't looking.

"Yes," he confirmed. "Your mind perceives the delicate and fickle river of war and your capability at changing its flow has been proven twice now: against the Knights of two days past and tonight. Yet your greatest strength is your courageous soul. With you to stand by me, my hope that the path ahead will be one with least bloodshed may yet become reality. However, know this: the burden will be heavy. It is not my intent for you to come to harm, but this path shall be perilous – for the both of us," he warned.

"…Then we will face those dangers head-on together."

"Then you accept?"

Robin couldn't help but smile at Yen'fay surprised expression. "Of course. I would be honored to be your tactician, Yen'fay, and stand by your side."

A tension that Robin hadn't even noticed was there lifted from Yen'fay shoulders. "My heart is relieved to know this. I thank you, Robin."

"I think I should be the one thanking you - from footsoldier to tactician in almost two days! I imagine that's a record for the books," she remarked with a headshake of disbelief. "I also imagine that we have a long night ahead of us. My first day on the job and no taking it easy, huh?" She gave a little chuckle before straightening her cloak. "Okay. We better get to it."

Yen'fay nodded his agreement, a small ghost of smile in his lips. And side-by-side the general and tactician went forward.

* * *

 **Ending Note: Ahh, another month, another chapter. And the story has progressed a bit more as Yen'fay is now acting general with Robin finally as the tactician at his side as well as tactician to the Valmese Empire! And now, they are on the hunt to end the resistance in A** **bundancia and their leader once and for all. So the ball is finally rolling in this story, and I hope you will join along for the ride!  
**

 **As always, I ask that you review to give feedback or just tell me what you think. That really helps to give me motivation to keep chugging on with this story and reading reviews just really makes me happy to know that people enjoy what I write. BUT, enough of that. Thank you for reading and I wish you a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening/night! Until next time!**

 **Edited on 3/1/17**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Me no own Fire Emblem or characters except OCs. Nintendo does. Understand? Good.**

Chapter 3: Emergence of a Foe

The night after the skirmish on the Valmese camp did indeed prove a drawn-out one for Robin and Yen'fay. The majority of their time spent mapping an array of routes in order to react to countless scenarios. It was during this time that she discovered she had a natural talent for logistics, complementing nicely with her knowledge of tactics and further impressing on her that she had spent considerable time in her past learning about it.

What she considered most important to gain from the long night was that she finally gained a firm bearing of the world and where she was. On the world map there were two main continents separated by a wide ocean: one being Valm and to the east resided Ylisse. Robin was currently on the former.

Furthermore, Valm was a conglomerate of small kingdoms and dukedoms. Among them were Chon'sin, Yen'fay's homeland, being the largest and the kingdom Valm (Robin herself thought it a bit confusing for a kingdom to be named after the continent it resided), which was the smallest. Where she was at right now, Yen'fay explained, was a dukedom that lay on the far northeast of Valm named Abundancia. He informed her it used to be a major hub for trade between Valm and Yilsse before the war, housing the largest port on this side of the world.

At first light they were done preparing the camp's route for marching and waited to receive information from the scouts that were sent out during the night. Robin was standing by Yen'fay's side when Andrea came rushing with a messenger in tow.

"General Yen'fay, we have the rotten rats cornered!" she proclaimed with a wolf-like grin. She gestured for the messenger to step forward. "Inform them of the report from Captain Galloway."

The messenger stood at attention. "Sir! Captain Galloway has reported spotting the leader of the Abundancian resistance, Duke Verdeza, along with a small force heading north towards Bosque woods! Galloway is currently in pursuit and plans to attempt to stop them there," he reported swiftly.

"Duke Verdesa?" Robin questioned, this being the first time hearing of the name.

"The distasteful duke and reprehensible ruler of Abundancia," Andrea told her. "That is, before we arrived. Despite a position high in our ranks offered in lieu of his dukedom and refusing to surrender when we declared war, he decided to stand against us. Since then, he's been a constant thorn in our side, choosing to fight back by poking and prodding us with hit-and-run tactics rather than facing us in open combat." She scoffed. "Nothing but a coward."

"Do not underestimate him," Yen'fay warned. "He has survived thus far for over a year with such tactics. If cornered, he may still prove himself a difficult foe to defeat."

Robin nodded her understanding while Andrea scoffed. "I understand. Mmm. Bosque woods, huh? That isn't far from here," Robin mentioned to Yen'fay, recalling back to the maps she examined beforehand. "We can reach there before dusk if we hurry."

"The troops are prepared to march. We're ready to finish this dastard duke off once and for all, sir," Andrea informed Yen'fay.

Yen'fay lowed his head in a solemn nod. "Then we go."

...

Robin's prediction proved to be true, and the sun's rim hovered just above the horizon when the woods came into sight. She pulled up with her horse next to Yen'fay, who was heading the convoy with Andrea beside him.

She shielded her eyes as she gazed at the thin line of dark clouds that stretched out across the horizon in the far distance. It looked like a storm, but she estimated that night would fall before it arrived at Bosque woods and their task should be completed by then. Hopefully. She filed the information away in the back of her mind under 'worry about later.'

After a nod to the two people, Robin was the first to speak. "I see no sign of either Captain Galloway's troops or Duke Verdeza's. If Galloway was able to intercept Verdeza within the woods themselves then the best course of action would to be to set up a perimeter around the woods to lessen his chances of escaping."

Yen'fay shook his head. "The numbers we possess are not ample enough to cover the whole of Bosque."

"No, they aren't," Andrea agreed with a look aimed at Robin that heavily suggested she was a idiot for not knowing that information. "At the most we can secure one side of the woods completely. That would still leave us a force large enough to go after Verdeza."

"So," Robin begun, deep in thought, "the question is which side: The north, east, west or south?"

"In the west, there are only the northern mountains. Beyond them are Valmese territories. He would be foolish to seek safety there," Yen'fay explained. "The east and the south allows him to retreat further into his own lands. If he wishes to flee those would be the paths he would take."

"Hmm…" Robin thought deeply about the choices before a thought occurred to her. "Wait, what about the north?"

Andrea raised a brow. "The north? There's nothing there but the sea. Are you suggesting they'd try to escape by running on water?" she asked with a slightly sarcastic tone, making Robin bite the inside of her cheek to avoid shooting back a nasty retort. When Andrea learned that Robin was chosen by Yen'fay to be the camp's tactician she was not pleased that such a "bloody important position" was given to "an unproven soldier". (The rest of the camp also found out about their new tactician through rumors that Robin had no idea got started. She only told two people after all.) Yen'fay summoned her to his tent and apparently expressed his thoughts to the contrary with her with the two of them alone. Afterwards, Andrea was less vocal with her displeasure.

"No, of course not, but Abundancia is known for its trade, right? Which means ships," the tactician explained patiently with a meaningful look at them.

"…You propose they have a ship awaiting their arrival on the North Sea?" Yen'fay asked, catching on and quickly warming up to the idea.

"Impossible!" Andrea declared. "Those shores are little more than cliffs. They would have to be desperate to try such a thing! Let alone the fact that it would take too long for the numbers that Verdeza is reported to be leading to all climb down and onto a ship. Surely, by now he knows he's being pursed. The most likely route that he would use is east or south - not north of all places!"

"Perhaps," Robin conceded, an eyebrow twitching at Andrea rude tone. She fought harder to hold back the urge to shout at her...or to throw something. She had to prove herself worthy of her title and the first step was being professional. "I can't speak for how desperate he is, but if the attack last night was orchestrated by him then he has certainly proven his intelligence. In my eyes, that move is evidence enough to suggest that his heading is north."

"Oh, and how is that?" Andrea asked Robin, continuing on with her tone.

"It's simple. He arranged a focused attack at one point of the camp, meant to distract us while General Bartholomew was assassinated behind our backs. It was a move no one expected. If General Yen'fay hadn't arrived the day before and the obvious choice to replace Bartholomew would there have been confusion as to the chain of command?" she asked Andrea.

"Well…Yes, there would have been," Andrea admitted with a frown.

"Then I purpose that he executed such a plan to buy time to escape north because that is the last place we would search for him," Robin proclaimed. "If we set up a barricade along the north side of Bosque Woods then he has nowhere else to go."

"Are you sure?" Yen'fay inquired.

Robin hesitated for a moment. What if she was wrong? What if she was only connecting dots where there aren't any? She mentally slapped herself. It made sense and her instincts were telling her that this WAS the right course. She had to believe in that. "Yes, sir. I'm sure."

Yen'fay inclined his head and turned to Andrea. "Then give the order to move. Position them in the north to cut off his escape. The force I shall lead will strike from the south and push the duke into a wedge."

Andrea frowned again, but saluted and stomped off, shouting orders. Not long after, Yen'fay and Robin gathered their small force of 100 horsemen and moved out as the rest of the convoy headed north. They entered the woods from the south and pushed through the thick brush and trees, the going slow due to the horses' poor footing in such terrain. Soon however, the faint sound of battle was trickled through the trees. Hearing this, They pushed themselves further.

They broke through into a more sparsely wooded area. There they met with the conflict that had commenced. Green-clad Cavalier and Archers surrounded a smaller group of red Knights – the force that was pursuing Verdeza.

Speaking of Verdeza, away from the ongoing struggle, a small number of troops stood apart. Among them, sticking out like a sore, green thumb, rode a man with such opulent clothing he could be no other than Verdeza himself. He was young with a slim build, perfect features, and flaring eyebrows that struck Robin as being very familiar. Elaborate emerald robes that were trimmed with silver thread flowed off his thin frame, and his dark, olive eyes were framed by a delicate yet keen face that practically screamed nobility. Long, dark green hair was swept freely off to the sides in thick waves.

But there was more to him than meets the eye; Robin could almost taste the magical power emitting off him like a ocean wave crashing down on her. She shivered. She was certain, beyond a single shred of a doubt, that he would not a simple foe they could face head on.

Duke Verdeza would prove to be a deadly threat, she was sure of that.

)(

Verdeza raised a slender eyebrow at the sight of the newcomers' arrival. "…My, aren't they a lovely bundle of mongrel puppies - nipping at my heels. Their arrival came quicker than I expected…" he muttered to himself.

"Milord!" the captain of the Cavaliers rode up aside him with a shout. "Valmese reinforcements are arriving from the south!"

The duke rolled his eyes heavenward at the announcement. "Oh, are they truly? Congratulations, 'Sir' Ramos! You sure proved your capability to use those eyes of yours!" he mocked sarcastically, adding a slow clap for emphasis. "As your reward, I shall entrust you to gloriously lead our forces and impede the progress of the villainous Valmese as I take my leave. Enjoy."

"You want me to stop them, sire? Wait! Do- do you mean to leave me behind!?" Ramos asked, shocked.

"Of course, baby Ramos. The little knight's duty is to be obedient and defend his liege - at the expense of his own life if necessary. I do hope you weren't thinking of attempting something to the contrary, now were you?" Verdeza spread his arms in mock hurt at Ramos' hesitation. "Oh, baby Ramos, you wound me. Very well. If your obligation to your duties is insufficient, then flee or surrender as you wish. My emotions will survive. And I will as well," he added, a deep malice oozing through his mild tone.

"Then," he continued, "I believe I shall allow myself a short detour to pay my respects to your family's estate. No doubt your wife waits to be reunited with you there. I understand that your ancestral burial plot was built nearby there too, no? Perhaps a quick trip there afterward to add a few…décors. Your children have quite the charming names, if I remember correctly: Alfonso and Milo, yes? Their names will work along with the rest of your ancestors' names there in improving the aesthetics quite nicely. Am I understood, baby Ramos?" Verdeza's false smile had not a single scrap of mercy in it.

The cavalier's strained face nodded with one sharp motion. "I…I understand, sire. I'll stop their advance."

"Excellent!" Verdeza swung his horse around and gestured for a number of the nearby troops to follow. "Make me proud, baby Ramos. Make me proud."

Then he trampled off to the north, leaving in his wake a pale man looking like he was faced with his execution.

)(

"Yen'fay, he's escaping!" Robin shouted out to the general.

"Allow him. He heads north. The barricade will halt him there. We shall finish the foe that bars our way first," Yen'fay commanded.

She nodded, and put all of her focus into analyzing the battlefield. Though the clearing's width was flat with little vegetation to hamper a charging Cavalier, the area between Yen'fay's force and the enemy commander held numerous pockets of trees to provide relief from both them and the arrows of the Archers.

' _They will prove very useful, I'm sure,'_ she mused inside her over-pacing mind. ' _But then there is the matter of helping Galloway and his men.'_

Captain's Galloway's forces were battling well over twice their numbers. Devoting most of Yen'fay's troops to helping them would aid to equalize the numbers and would be the best choice to reduce casualties. Glancing over at the green-clad Cavalier, she noted he was removed from the action and with limited troops standing by him as well: 11 archers and cavaliers in total, including the commander. It would be easy to overwhelm them with sheer numbers, but if she didn't send enough troops to aid Galloway the enemy might break away to reinforce the commander. That could prove devastating. If the enemy commander fell however, the rest would likely surrender. They didn't appear like they had much fight in them left - especially since the duke left.

"If we focus most of our troops' attention on aiding Galloway's forces while we lead a small group to advance against the enemy commander in front of us then that might give us more freedom to move without worrying about any lances or arrows aimed at our backs," the tactician suggested.

Yen'fay nodded in agreement and quickly barked out orders. Soon enough, the only troops still remaining were Mei and Lennard. They were two that Robin has especially made sure would come. Measuring up against the force ahead of them, they were clearly outnumbered. However, the terrain could be used to their advantage and with that she formulated her plan.

She supplied them with a healing potion of Vulnerary each to heal minor wounds which she judged would tide them over if Mei wasn't nearby. Though numbers would not be in their favor, with proper planning she was confident that the four of them would be enough. Robin quickly told the three her plan along with their roles to play.

And so, they made their move.

Lennard rode forward into the open, alone, as Yen'fay and her took up position behind a thick grove with Mei making sure to behind them, away from the fray until she had a safe opportunity to heal the wounded. It didn't take long for the Abundancians to notice the lone man's advance. The two closest Cavaliers charged towards him with iron lances at the ready as 2 Archers lagged behind. This was exactly what Robin expected them to do.

The Cavalier closed the distance, their spears aimed at Lennard. Readying his own lance, he yanked the reins of his steed and the horse gracefully leaped out of the way of the first Cavalier's spear. His horse leaped once more and Lennard thrust down his spear with immense force.

Lennard's jubilation did not last long as the next Cavalier closed in. Lennard brought up his own spear to meet him. That only served to grant some respite as the spear dug deep into his arm instead of through his chest. With a hiss, he returned his own blow before his foe could break away.

' _Good job, Lennard. Now pull them in…'_

As if he heard the tactician's thoughts, the young Valmese pulled in his reins and bolted towards Yen'fay and Robin. As soon as he joined their ranks, they stepped forward to act as a human wall as Mei began her treatment of Lennard. The pair of Archers choose to crash through the forest barrier that separated them rather than venture around - thus they were slowed down. The wounded Cavaliers however, shook off their wounds and charged in once more.

They met the wall that was Yen'fay and Robin violently. Robin prepared herself to dodge, but the swift point still found its way, skinning her side. She stood firm and stretched her arm out, a sphere of lightning hurling itself at the Cavalier's helmet. He remained standing.

She paid a side-glance to see that Yen'fay had already dispatched the other Cavalier. Another glance to the opposite side informed her the Archers would be on top on them in a matter of seconds.

Robin summoned another ball of lightning to finish off the Cavalier in front of her before calling Mei over to give her a dose of healing. Feeling the pain flow away, she sent Lennard and Yen'fay into the thicket.

This brought them into range of the enemy's arrows.

The two of them let loose and both hit Lennard soundly. He, thankful, remained upright, though his resemblance to a pincushion grew.

' _Another barrage like that will end in tragedy. Time to pull him back and-'_

"Hello, lads and lassies! Might you be in need of a friendly spear? Or maybe a walking shield to barrel through your foes!?"

"Huh!?" Robin's head whirled at the words. A single Knight split from the fighting, clanking right at them with booming laughter.

"Who is that?" the tactician asked incredulity.

"It appears the captain wishes to assist us," Yen'fay answered.

"So that's Captain Galloway then? Well, we certainly can use all the help we can get."

Yelling for Lennard to return to Mei, Robin ordered Yen'fay to head towards Galloway and tell him to help push their way towards the Cavalier commander. She was going to take Galloway up on his offer as a shield.

After Lennard's wounds closed up from Mei's staff they rushed the Archers as they finally escaped the thicket. Drawing her sword, Robin dashed in with a slash at one of them. The blade hit true and he stumbled back. Lennard's stab finished him off, leave a lone Archer before them.

Eyes wide, the Archer ran from the two of them...and right towards Mei, who was alone and defenseless from his line of fire. He rose up his bow and let loose. Mei screamed in pain as her hand clasped onto the shaft that suddenly protruded from her chest.

Robin narrowed her eyes as Lennard shouted out her name in horror. The two of them practically flew at the pale Archer with sword and spear alike, dispatching him with great prejudice.

Safe for the time being, the tactician swiftly turned her eyes on how Galloway and Yen'fay were doing with their advance.

She needn't have worried. Galloway's boast held true, and he indeed barreled right through several Cavaliers with little incident. With his high defense and Yen'fay skill at evasive, the powerful duo ended three Cavaliers and an Archer that foolishly attempted to halt their progress.

' _Doesn't look like they need much help, but to be better safe than sorry...'_ "Lennard!" She turned back to the young Cavalier who was trying to sooth the whimpering Mei as she drank down a Vulnerary. He tilted his head up at her.

"Yeah, boss?"

"I want you to go and support Yen'fay and Galloway when they face off against that commander," Robin told him. When he glanced doubtfully at Mei, she added, "Don't worry. I'll be right at her side. She'll be safe, I promise. You'll be quicker on your horse than we would on foot, and I want an unrelenting attack on that commander so that we can end this quick as we can."

"I get it. I'm off then. Take care of her, and yourself."

Robin watched Lennard ride off. She was confident that, with a three-pronged attack, the commander was done for.

' _It's simply a matter of time…'_

)(

' _It's simply a matter of time…'_

Ramos thought this grimly as the Cavalier viewed his men be slaughtered in front of him by the Chon'sin Swordmaster and the red-haired Knight. The two of them together were a battering ram of destruction. And in the distance he could see a Cavalier in red galloping nearer, no doubt to act as reinforcements. It was scene of hopelessness.

A ghastly sigh escaped Ramos's lips - one that meant he knew the end was near. He knew the moment his lord, Duke Verdeza, cast him aside that there was only one way out of this predicament - by way of the sword.

He shook his head tiredly.

Since he was but a child training to be a knight of the dukedom he always prepare for the fact that a blade would be the end of him. But this…

He bite his tongue to refrain from cursing the name of Verdeza as another the last Cavalier fell to the Knight's spear, leaving a lone archer to stand against them. He too fell soon enough. He knew the two of them, and all the others that fell before them - good men with families.

But Ramos now stood alone.

' _What little honor there is left here is to be had through death...Is that not so?'_ he thought to soften the bitterness in his heart, but closed his eyes. ' _No, that is a lie. More than anything, I want to live - to run like a coward or toss my sword and beg for life. Yet if I were to do so...If only I could see you all again, Cassia, Alfonso, Milo. Forgive me.'_

He sucked in precious, life-filling air and opened his eyes.

The young Cavalier had caught up and stood beside his allies, ready to take his life. He reminded Ramos a bit of himself when he was young. It was because of the eyes. They held a purposeful look, fueled by unflinching belief in his cause and a naive light in them. If only Ramos could return to those days when his own eyes were the same...

Sir Ramos shook his head as the Swordmaster came forward, a somber step in his foot and raising his blade. He raised his iron spear, and readied himself for death. He would not give up so willingly.

"If you mean to pass me, I cannot allow it!" he shouted out to them. Empty words, but it was all he had.

"Farewell," was all the Swordmaster spoke, and he moved, a blur of purple, black, and silver. Too fast for Ramos to stop, too fast for him to even move. He felt himself fall from his steed, and hear the wet clash as he hit the ground.

It was over.

"I...fulfilled my duty...Please, Verdeza...spare…" Anything else Ramos had to say ended along with his life.

)(

Robin nodded firmly as the commander fell. She then checked the status of the other battlefield - both ally and foe. Like the battle at the camp, as soon as their leader fell the Abundancians simply lost what little will to fight they had left and surrendered, tossing their weapons or even themselves to the ground from exhaustion. The Knights looked like they wanted to do the same, but discipline kept them standing and on the alert.

 _'We have nothing left to give anymore -us and the Abundancians- do we?'_ Robin shook her head in sympathy. The most she could be glad for the fact that what were left of the Abundancians still had their lives and almost all of the Knights survived.

She left Mei with Lennard before heading towards Yen'fay, who was now speaking to Captain Galloway.

Robin was surprised as she stopped before them just how short Galloway was when up close. He was about the same height of Robin, so naturally, that meant Yen'fay towered over him. Though what he lacked in height he made up for with bulk. She could tell it wasn't just because of the armor either. Galloway was a walking, talking wall of a man, with a thick jaw and low, thick eyebrows, a small, faded scar on his chin. His red-hair was fashioned into a giant twirly spike.

"Har har! I'd say things worked out bloody great!" Galloway was telling Yen'fay in a rough voice, guffawing all the while. "Thank you for the support, general. You saved our arses from a few pricks all right."

"Your blades make quick work of them alone. I see clearly your men are well disciplined. My men merely sped the process."

"Har! I imagine you're yanking my chain, but I appreciate the praise." The Knight's smile twisted into a rueful one. "The sad tale be that Verdeza caught us with our britches around our ankles - waiting for us here in the open with his carvery as he did. The happy tale is you did the same with them!" He took a moment to look around with a grin at the surrounding Abundancians as they surrendered. "And look how many decided to be smart and wear white smallclothes today! Haha!"

Robin fought back a smile as Yen'fay gave a stiff nod. "Fortunate, yes. However, the clash will not end for as long as the duke yet lives. Gather the Abundancians that have cast their blades as prisoners. I shall move onward after the duke. Follow when you are able."

"That can be done easily enough, but sir, if I may?" he began. When Yen'fay gestured that he may, the Knight continued, "That can be handled by my troops without me mother-henning them. Everyone who serves under me are good men and women who can follow orders 'til the last. But one of them could be in mighty hot oil and might need plucking from it as we speak. I want to be there to do the plucking."

"...Who is this person?"

"A Archer by the name of Lucas. He normally acts as our scout, but plays the part of a spy when needed. Recently, he was needed. He's also an Abundancian whose sympathies rest with the empire. For the last year, he managed to worm his way to Verdeza's side, feeding information to us when able."

Yen'fay folded his arms. "Why was I not told? A spy within the ranks of one's foe is akin to a shadowy knife to their heart. A valuable thing indeed."

"Lucas would like that description very much, I would think," Galloway commented with a smirk before turning stone-faced. "As to why you didn't know, few did; to lower the risk of loose lips sinking ships and the such. I knew because he serves under me. I'm guessing Bartholomew didn't tell you before he let up the ghost. Anyhow, that's not important now. What is is that Lucas was among the men that Verdeza took with him."

"Surely, a position best to be avoided...Then make sure your blade is keen for battle."

Galloway grinned as he pounded a gauntlet to his thick chest piece in grateful salute. "It already is, sir."

After Galloway shouted orders to his troops they set off in a full-on gallop through the impeding foliage once more, hoping to make up for the time lost from Ramos and his forces. They pushed on at a breakneck pace, their eyes on the alert for Duke Verdeza and his last remaining forces.

It was all too soon that they found them.

The first signs were the leveled trees that littered the ground like a storm had raged its way past them. After that was the deep red that painted the earth. The crimson liquid shone from its place among the brown dirt and green plants. Finally, there were the bodies.

"Wh- What happened here!?" Robin thought she had developed a thick skin for blood, but this…

"A massacre," Yen'fay confirmed the sight before them as so with a soft voice. He quickly sent out several troops to set up a perimeter before they stepped slowly through the carnage, examining the bodies. Galloway and Robin followed suit.

"I don't like the portrait all of this is painting in my head…" Galloway shook his head grimly. "From the uniforms, I believe we found Verdeza and his band of merry men."

"...Yet no sign of their attackers exist," Yen'fay noted. "Only Abundancian blood has been shed here."

"That doesn't make sense. The only ones in pursuit of Verdeza are us, so the chances of another group attacking them is low," Robin pointed out, then shiver ran down her spine as a thought came to her. "And if the casualties here are only Abundancians the likely explanation is...they turned on each other. But why?"

"Well," Galloway started, "I can think of maybe who did the turning on. I see a distinct lack of Verdeza among the body count, as well as…"

He spun around and began hollering, starling Robin with his voluminous shouts. "Lucas, sound off! I don't remember giving you permission to die yet!"

Silence…

Then a dry cough.

"I don't remember...asking you…"

"Lucas!"

Galloway lumbered over to the largest tree that had been felled. It was from underneath the behemoth of limber that the voice weakly drifted from. Galloway dug his way in, tossing aside broken tree limbs with a fury.

Finally, after it was all removed it revealed…

"Hello, captain. Took...your sweet time. Difficult to believe I...could ever be glad to see that mug of yours, amigo."

Robin had to stand on her tippy toes over the wide bulk that was Galloway to behold the coughing man buried under the branches. There, narrowly avoided being crushed by the fallen mountain of a tree, was the Archer and scout, Lucas. Lucas groaned as Galloway pulled the deeply tan man into a sitting position. Lucas was a man that Robin could only call striking in the way the full moon is on a misty night - dark, forbidding, and filled with mystique. He had a slight yet rigid body frame and a thick mass of black curls (that was no doubt the bane of all the combs in the world). The Archer's sunken eyes were like coal and bore into them with a cold light, lurking from the shadow cast by the brim of the earth-colored tricorn hat he wore, a red feather standing stiff being the one bright color to the otherwise somber-looking man.

All in all, Robin found the man a bit unnerving. What unnerved her more was the gash that had nearly sliced Lucas in two, coating the entire front of his Archer's garb with dark blood. It was hard to believe he was still breathing.

Galloway gave a dry chuckle. "I can't believe you survived another bout with death. Maybe it's losing its touch. Or maybe you're too good at hiding from it. But no matter. Take this."

Lucas pushed away the Vulnerary he was offered with another cough. "You've been...too deep in your cups, amigo. Look at me. Death missed its chance, but...Verdeza picked up its role well enough. The 'good' duke slaughtered 10 men before they knew it was coming. I was 'lucky'. I ran...Didn't die at once 'cause of this here stumbling block...Could make for a good carving of me. Nice irony right there. Almost made it alive by hiding under it too."

"Lucas, belay that talk! You still own me too many drinks to die now! So drink!" Galloway cut in, thrusting the Vulnerary at the Archer again.

"Won't help...The rope is taut. Just...wait for me to stop kicking. Only thing that...could help is a elixir… or a step-ladder..."

"Um, w-w-what about a Cleric?"

Everyone spun their heads around at the nervous girl clutching a heal staff to her chest behind them.

"Huh!? Mei? Why are you here?" Robin asked, shocked at her appearance. She had Mei and Lennard stay behind to help with the wounded back at the clearing.

"Eep! T-the Knights wouldn't let me heal them. They um, said 'stick that staff somewhere else, lassie!' ...So I followed you. S-s-sorry."

"Har! Don't be!" Galloway assured her with a relieved grin. "Everyone under my command are as stubborn as mules, with heads twice as thick! Them refusing means their wounds are nothing to worry about. You coming here however, saved a life. Quickly now, come and heal Luc-"

"No way, amigo."

"What!? Why on earth would..." Galloway narrowed his eyes. "This better not be because…"

"I'd rather die with chains on my legs and thrown into the sea as food for the fishes. More dignity there than living on, owning my live to some a little girl who should be off sewing or chasing down a husb-" He was cut off when Galloway's heavy gauntlet came down onto his head. "...Ow."

"I thought I told you such attitude is not welcome under my command, Lucas! Now, she is going to heal you or, so help me, I'll write that you died by rabid squirrels on your tombstone. Try dying with dignity after that!"

"...You would, wouldn't you?" The Archer sighed. "Fine, you win...Girl, let's get this over with."

As Mei held the Heal Staff over him and began the healing process, Yen'fay stepped forward. "Scout, I am in need of answers. You alone can provide them."

"...And you are?" Lucas asked, a razor-sharp brow raised.

"This is the new general, Yen'fay," Galloway explained. "Make sure to show your respect, Lucas."

"Tch…You're from Chon'sin, I'm guessing. Fine. What do you want to know?"

"The information of most import is the direction Verdeza fled after he felled his men."

"He went north. There was to be a ship at shore waiting there. I hoped to gift him with a arrow in the heart before we arrived there…but he was faster with the draw."

Yen'fay furrowed his brow and marched away, forming up a detachment fast as he could to follow after Verdeza.

Robin however, still had a few more questions. "It doesn't make sense to me. Why would Verdeza turn around and attack his own men?"

"Because the 'good' duke, Verdeza, cares about nothing but his wealth," Lucas said with a growl. "He never cared for his men. The sole reason he allowed this war to happen in the first place - it was all so his riches could be safely escorted out of the dukedom, away from valmese fingers. This ship was to be the last, as well as to be his formal farewell to Abundancia - piled high with gold for his own use. He turned on us because we were 'dead weight with no worth'. Apparently, he never bothered to make room to save his own men - just his precious gold. Betrayal is the knife that cuts deepest, after all..."

Robin winched at the idea that someone would kill off their own troops for since a shallow reason. "That's horrible! For a duke to sacrifice his own people for money, there are no words…"

"There isn't," Galloway agreed grimly. "Those lads, no, all the people of this land placed their lives in Verdeza's hands. For a leader to extend a war for his own gain and betray that trust is inexcusable. That's why giving him the six-feet-under treatment is the only way to stop this madness."

"There is truth in your words, captain. And judgement will find him at the barricade," Yen'fay's voice rung out, and they all turned to see the tall Swordsmaster approaching. "We shall continue onward to ensure that it does. Captain, remain here to gather your forces. The barricade will provide supplies to aid the wounded. Robin, we shall leave now."

The tactician nodded and, saddling their horses, they forged their way on for the third time. As the reaches of Bosque woods dwindled, the last rays of the sun fell and where encroaching dark clouds didn't cover, stars twinkled into existence. They broke from the last remaining trees for them to lay eyes on the barricade. Robin winced, biting the inside of her cheek, as she saw it. The easily-seen soldiers patrolling were far too obvious with their torches. She hadn't taken into account how flat the plains would be between the woods and the sea. If she could discern them with ease then it was possible…

A warning call raising up broke her thought trail. Before she knew, a small group of Soldiers were charging at their direction. Yen'fay and her stopped and waited.

"Hold!" At the lead of the group was Andrea, holding up a hand to still the Soldiers. She rode up to Yen'fay with a salute.

"General Yen'fay! You're here. Do I take this to mean the detestable duke is dead, sir?"

A rock sunk in Robin's stomach. By the furrowed brow on Yen'fay, he was not pleased by the question either.

"No, he has eluded our grasp. We have been informed that he now travels alone and that the duke fled to the north when last seen by our troops. Have any arrived at the barricade besides the two of us?"

Andrea shook her head in the negatory. "Only the detachment you sent has arrived, and they have not reported encountering anyone."

Robin shook her head in dismay. "Then Duke Verdeza has slipped through our fingers…"

"For now, yes..." Yen'fay faced Andrea. "Commissioner. We have received affirmation that a ship lies at shore. What of it?"

"Our scouts also confirmed the ship's existence at shore, as the tactician guessed," here she shoot a sour side-glance at Robin. "As soon as it saw us it rose sails and departed. There is no way to follow it at present. But I promise that the chances of the duke making it past us and on that ship are none. The damnable duke has no avenue left to him but to travel by land. With your permission, I wish to lead the search for him myself, general."

"Then do so. I leave the matter of the duke to you, commissioner. I shall return to the camp with the convoy. With the last of the resistance's forces fallen, efforts must be made to rebuild Abundancia and formally unite it to the Valmese Empire."

Andrea's hand came up sharply to her forehead, her eyes set aflame with determination. "I will cast all the troops we can spare out like a net and catch him. I won't let him get away, sir. I swear it."

She charged off as Robin and Yen'fay followed at a slower pace. They moved in silence for a time.

"Would you call this the end of the war?" Robin spoke up, breaking the calm.

"..." Yen'fay stayed silent. It kept up for so long that Robin thought he wasn't going to answer until, "For Abundancia, yes. The resistance is broken. Their leader will be captured. If he is not, there will still be nothing for him here…"

"...But?"

"...The war that the Valmese Empire wages for the world will never end," he whispered in a voice so low that she almost didn't hear him.

Yen'fay dug into his horse, leaving the confused tactician behind as she felt the first drops of rain hit her face. A single question was etched into her mind.

' _What could he possibly mean by that?'_

* * *

 **Ending Note: Whew, that was a big one! I hoped none of you got burned out by the length...or the amount of dialogue, or the battle scenes for that matter. Don't have much confidence with those yet. There will also be some mistakes, but I plan to edit this later. ANYWHO! Some stuff has happened, hasn't it? Verdeza has emerged. (question is, will he survive?) Also two new characters to introduce: Galloway and Lucas (three if you count poor Ramos. He didn't last long.) So, as you come to the end of this note all I can hope for is a review of your thoughts. Please. I seriously feed on them. Feed me, People! (Thanks for those who did review also! You're awesome!) But besides that, have a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening/night! Until next time!**

 **Edited on 3/1/17**


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